


Lost Lullaby

by wistfulillusion



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mechanical Lullaby (IDOLiSH7), Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wistfulillusion/pseuds/wistfulillusion
Summary: "Maybe I made a mistake back then. Maybe it would have been different if I got rid of those few differently."There was a time when robot dolls existed in place of humans who slept in below them in earth that was reviving itself. However before the lullaby could be sung, a small army of determined humans made their way to the music box. Now a war has started, the fight for the freedom and rights of the robot dolls. Will the lullaby be sung by the two destined to sing? Or will the cruel hearts of men take control of them once more?





	1. Doctor's Notes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Hello~ Welcome to the story, a mechanical lullaby Au that I created for the soul purpose of wanting angst and because I loved the story. There was a little bit of room for me to make some... adjustments. So I hope you enjoy the Lost Lullaby.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short note from the doctor before the story begins.

In this mechanical world, the central tower never stopped ticking. Everything revolved around the clock that was placed in the center of town. I made sure that my beloved music box wouldn’t float away after I passed.

 

I cannot write about each of my beloved robotic creations, dearest reader. So I will introduce you to only 12 of them. The 12 that took charge to fight for the music box that I had placed them in. Oh,and before you ask for my name, you may just call me Doctor.

  
The 12 that I had made were crafted carefully by my hand when I was still alive.  I made sure that they were the ones that would see out the operation. Well, at least one of them. But the others had special attributes as well. But most of all, they all cared deeply about each other and the rest that lived in this music box.

 

What made them different from the other robots was that they would fight for one another and for everyone else living there which ultimately lead to their downfall. But I was proud that I was there to witness it all, to see my creations fight. It was a pleasant surprise to find that they could do their job.

 

Ultimately, this is not a fairytale. There is no happy ending for no one lives happily ever after, because that is not how reality works. Fairy tales only exist in stories crafted for young children, and this is not one of those stories.

 

This is a story about war and pain. There is death and the loss of close friends and occasionally a little more than that if you look hard enough. War simply  cannot be fixed by a simple sorry, not when the war that happens affects a whole world that you didn’t know existed.

 

The 12 dolls that I created were not made to be war machines, they were made and altered to protect the robot kind so that they would not have to fight human wars. And in the end, they continued to fight for that same cause. But was it enough?

 

I wonder if you will stay around to read the ending of the story.

  


Dear reader, I watched this happen before my very eyes. The 12 of my most prized creations came to life to fight for what they thought would be best for the world. There is however, another… unplanned person who came about in this story. Someone who I did not expect to see appeared.

 

You see, one of the robots here were not built by me but rather, the robot dolls built them. They were unplanned and put into hiding due to a small accident that they went through. But to see them play a key part in the story came off as a surprise to me at first.

 

I will remind you once more that this is not a fairytale. There are mysteries that will start. Some will end while others will stay open for you to decide what to do with them. Perhaps I will answer some of those questions if you burn them in the correct direction at the right time.

 

This is a story as to how your world came to be, a story that tells you how much the hearts of men can affect others around them. Because everything that happens here is a nightmare to the people that had to live through it. The world that you live in now was created because of the robots dolls in the sky.

 

If the outcome of this story had changed, perhaps with a happier ending, your world may not exist. The robot dolls may have lived on in their music box and continued to flourish. But we cannot change the outcome of things, and so your world exists because of one musician’s choose to play the lullaby that would send them to sleep and wake you up.Most importantly, I hope that you get something out of this story. Will you feel their pain? Will you learn to love and feel sorry for them? Will you understand what the humans did? Or will this story fade away like the music in the sky?

 

I wonder…

 

  * Signed, Doctor




	2. Sacrifice of the Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the world started to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello I am back at it again with another chapter! I just wanted to give you all a reminder as to who is who so I will drop that here. I hope you enjoy~
> 
> Jane ― Izumi Iori || Fabra ― Nikaido Yamato || Martin ― Izumi Mitsuki || April ― Yotsuba Tamaki || Meir ― Osaka Sougo || Jeune ― Rokuya Nagi || Terra ― Nanase Riku || Cielo ― Kujou Tenn || Augus ― Yaotome Gaku || ??? - ??? || Octo ― Tsunashi Ryuunosuke || Novem ― Momo || Dissen ― Yuki

Dissen hummed while he tended to his plants, carefully watering and adding fertilizer to each of the vegetation that were in the laboratory. Novem had gone out with Octo to finish the butterfly. He was left alone with the cats, who seemed more interested in eating his catnip than helping him. Not that cats could help him in the first palace.

Though he didn’t mind.. The robotic cat, Futu, curled around his leg as he patted down the new soil, making noises similar to its living cat counterpart, Past. This made Dissen chuckle and rub the small cat’s head.

“Don’t tell me you miss Novem already…” He sighed and moved towards the counter to set down the watering can with the small robotic cat moving beside him. The cats were very attached to Novem, always running to him when he got home. It always made his caretaker happy and so, it made him happy.

The robot doll looked out the window, enjoying the sight of children running through the streets, though the amount was a bit odd. Usually they would go to the park a little further down the road to play tag. But today, they were all running in the same direction while screaming. Even their screams were wrong.   
  
His suspicions were confirmed when he watched some of the children stop at home and knock on the doors, frantically pointing in the direction that they had come from while tugging at their parent’s arm. Curiously, the doll that examined endangered plants watched as children hurried their parents along, urging them to do something about whatever was in that direction.   
  
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock from downstairs. Carefully, he walked down the stairs, the cats leaping ahead of him, hoping to meet Novem at the door. Though with the commotion outside, he doubted that Novem would knock. Rather, the robot doll would be more likely to break down the door and drag him outside.

His concern only grew when the door didn’t open on it’s own. The knocking started again but this time it was more frantic. Carefully, the doll opened the door, feeling the cold air hit his face. Rather than looking down at a soft expression, he saw a panicked child, pointing towards the distance.

“M-Mister! Please help me! There are scary people walking around a-and my mom is with them! But she was acting funny!” The child began to cry while tugging at his arms. “Please help her, mister!”

Dissen blinked a few times before stepping outside to evaluate the situation. There were still children running along, screaming and crying for their parents,  but now there were families running as well, screaming that what the children said was true.

Dissen watched the people go to  **that place** as the child continued to pull at his pant leg. With a sigh, the man crouched down and pointed to the crowd. The child looked scared, and if the situation was as bad as it looked now, he had to get the child out of here.

“Follow the crowd, they will lead you somewhere safe. Your mom will come soon.” The robot tried to speak calmly, while the child nodded and ran off to follow the crowd of people. The doll that studied plants stood up and watched the horizon carefully, watching as more dolls ran in his direction.

“Maybe it is time I go get him.” The doll mumbled before going back into the botanical garden, closing the front door behind him and walking towards the back, towards a door that he and Novem always kept locked. It was time to bring him back out.

 

—

** Central Tower **

—

 

When the whole tower shook, Augus assumed that he had done something terribly wrong. Maybe he had left something lying around that would interfere with some of the gearing of the tower? Was it that lunch that he had Meir deliver to him earlier on in the day? He held his ground as the tower continued to shake.

He turned his attention towards the hole of the clock and watched as the gears and shapes inside began to shift slowly, changing without him having to do anything.   
  
“Why is it changing? I didn’t touch the control panel...” he mumbled as he moved towards the hole to observe the inner workings of the clock. “Why did the hole change? I have never seen this before.” He paused and continued to study the gears as they turned and changed into the new shape.

Before, the gears and metal were made in a way where they barely touched, a delicate system that would be ruined by too little or not enough grease. If one gear was out of place, it would destroy the whole system. Which is why Augus had been assigned to stay in this room and make sure the whole clock ran smoothly.

But now the gears had shifted, the whole inner working of the clock seemed to rotate, which caused the entire clock tower to shake. When he looked inside the hole to observe what was happening, he watched at the whole interior seemed to split in half, forming two pillars.

From there, he watched as everything inside shifted so that there was a large empty space in the middle, allowing air to flow freely. In all four corners, there were pillars of gears that continued to turn. It almost looked like the tower was meant to do this rather than how it had it had been used for the past century. 

“And why does it fit together..” When the shapes stopped shifting, the tower stopped shaking and he blinked a few times, making sure that he wasn’t going crazy. It was true, the inside of the tower now looked much different from what he was used to. He would have to jump and shatter gears if he were to fix anything without his control panel.

Not only did the inner workings of the whole tower shift; he felt something else shift. It wasn’t something that would only affect him, and he knew it. But the tower had something to do with it, as if this had been planned beforehand.

He should consult Fabra, that doll would know what was happening. But first, he would eat the food that Meri had brought him. It would be a shame to let good food go to waste.

 

—

**East District**

—

 

Martin had been making his rounds around the east district when he saw people running from their homes as if it was the end of the world. The screams that they made also gave off the same message. Everyone, dragging others out of the buildings and following the crowd, which were going to a place Fabra told them to only go in an emergency.   
  
Curiosity poked at his mind until he couldn’t handle it anymore. The small delivery boy moved towards the crowd, accounting for most of the dolls that lived in this area. He made many deliveries so he knew almost everyone.

So, when he saw an unfamiliar blue haired doll, he went to ask him a few questions. The doll looked to be a low class one by the way that he was so polite to everyone else. It had long dark blue hair up in a ponytail, and their attire looked old and unwashed. Almost as if this doll had only recently been wound back up.

Martin approached the doll cautiously, tapping his arm gently to not disturb the other too much. He was busy trying to direct everyone to that place. He was met with the doll’s icy blue eyes and hard gaze.   
  
“May I help you?” the doll asked after looking away, continuing to point the others in the right direction. Though the direction was strange to Martin, they had never had to go that way before. Everyone was moving at such a frantic pace that it really felt like an evacuation.

“Who are you?” The messenger was worried that this man was the intruder on discuss. If he was, Martin would take him out right here and strangle him with his legs. The messenger clutched the bag closer to the body and lowered his knees. Just in case.

“Septer. Fabra’s project. I live in the Botanic Garden, out of sight from anyone. Dissen wound me up today.” The doll states, continuing to usher people towards their supposed destination. “Dissen would be better at explaining the situation.” Then,  the doll looked off towards the distance, where one doll stood in his place while the others rushed past him.

Martin nodded and dashed towards the high class doll, ducking under arms and pushing past everyone who was making a made dash towards Septer. Martin stopped at Dissen’s side, watching as the crowd rushed past them.

“It is weird to find you out of your garden.” The smaller of the pair stated, struggling to see past the sea of robot dolls that never seemed to end. Dissen clutched his plants close to his body, holding them as if they were his own children. Not that Martin blamed him, his duty was to protect endangered plants. Maybe this was just his way of showing that he cared about the vegetation.

“Well naturally, if there is an emergency I have to do something about it. I am not just a researcher, you know.” The high class doll chuckled before his face moved back to a frown. “Though... This whole incident worries me. I saw some of the kind dolls doing terrible things to other dolls earlier. I brought Sepeter up to help me evacuate everyone else. 

“What do you think caused it?” The smaller doll kept his eyes on the horizon, as less people started to come, but still at the same rapid pace. They were in a rush to escape something that he couldn’t see.

“Someone must have told them something or done something to them… I saw some of them have their control panels open a little, as if they didn’t close it properly. I doubt that it is our own. I believe that something else came. Perhaps humans.”  
  
The smaller robot blinked twice and shook his head, looking beyond the dimming crowd. Though he didn’t see anything, he heard marching in the distance, and the cries of those who didn’t outrun whatever was coming.  
  
“Humans or not, we have to get everyone out of here. What’s your plan?” He asked the taller robot, slightly worried  as to what was going through that man’s head. He would gaze up at the tall male whose smile moved up into some sort of grin, one that he never would have imagined on the researcher. A smile that showed insanity.

“I will act as bait, of course. One of the children told me that they escaped because they put all of their focus on one doll at a time. So while they are chasing me, Septer can go lead them towards the tower while you warn the others.” The researcher looked down at the other man, uncertainty showing in his eyes. He was nervous about this plan as well, knowing very well that it would go downhill.

The smaller robot blinked and sighed, putting a hand on the other robot’s arm.   
  
“Dissen…” The shorter doll paused, trying to think of the right words to say without offending the other doll. “I really hate to break this to you, but you can’t run. You care too much about the plants you carry everywhere.”  
  
“I can’t leave my many darlings behind, Martin. That would be inhumane. It isn’t like I have to run for very long, just enough for you and Septer to close this entrance and change the code. It is very simple. As long as you go and warn the others, perhaps Fabra will be able to do something about the problem.”  
  
“Dissen… I doubt that you will be able to run for ten minutes without getting distracted by a plant.”  
  
The other robot paused and sighed, falling silent to Martin’s last statement. The small boy chuckled and pat the other’s arm, listening as the marching got louder.

“How about we change roles? You can go warn the others and evacuate everyone else while I buy you some time. These shoes will take me places, and I have more stamina than you. I’m also probably faster.” The orange haired boy stated, looking up at the other male who just sighed.

Dissen turned around, towards the direction where Sepeter was gathering the last of the people and ushering them towards the right direction. The other robot seemed unsure, worried about the shorter doll. But they couldn’t waste too much time deciding what to do, as the marching only got louder. 

“Martin. You had best return to us. I will see you at the tower.” And with that, the researcher ran off, towards Septer, leaving the messenger to his fate. The smaller boy turned to see the group marching towards him in the distance. 

“Fabra… I hope that you have a solution to this mess.” Martin mumbled as he stood tall, ready for the events that were coming to unfold.

 

—

**Doctor’s Notes**

—

 

“Maybe I made a mistake back then. Maybe I should have never done this for humans, and left the earth to perish. Would they have solved their dispute if I hadn’t put them all to sleep? The project was a good idea until the early stages went wrong. The early stages of this project were supposed to be destroyed in a proper way; I wonder how that in itself went wrong. They are the reason behind this mess, I am sure of it.”

 

—

**Central Tower**

—

 

“Terra, watch out!” Cielo screamed as he pushed the other doll out of the way of a falling piece of debris that came from the towers shaking. Jane watched in horror as Cielo took the place of the red haired robot, holding his head from pain.

“Wait!” He reached out and pulled at the other, trying to move him as far away from the rock as his body would let him. There was a pause before the sound of robotic parts breaking apart tore through the silent air. Jane blinked in horror as he looked down to where the pink haired robot once was.

The tower slowly began to calm down. Whatever had just happened was finishing now. Terra and Jane both stood in horror, unable to fathom what had just happened. In a panic, Jane turned towards Terra, who looked shaken up.

“Terra are you-”

“Cielo… Cielo!” The doll shouted before moving towards the doll who had been crushed by the fallen debris. There was a light whimper of pain and Jane looked down in horror. Most of the doll hadn’t been crushed, but both of his legs were completely shattered under the weight of the fallen debris.

“Cielo… Cielo..” Jane paused after Terra had mumbled the other doll’s name again. He hadn't known it a few minutes ago, before their heads hurt. “Cielo why did you protect me…”

“Instinct.. I think…” The crushed doll said in a sad voice, trying to push himself up onto his arms with no avail. “I can’t get up…”   
  
“J-Jane-san! What do we do Cielo is… He’s…”   
  
“How do you remember his name… Don’t tell me…” Jane mumbled as he stared at the two in confusion. “Nevermind. I’ll go find Fabra-san and Augus-san. Please hold tight.” Jane said before getting up and walking towards the staircase that would take him up to where the other two were.

How did Terra suddenly know the other doll’s name? Why did the tower start to shake?  
  
What was happening to the town that he had been born into? He didn’t understand and wanted answers. But for now his objection was clear. Get the robot out from under the debris. With that, he pushed forward, climbing the tower as fast he could to tell the others.

 

—

**East District**

—

 

Martin felt his heart pound violently in his chest as he jumped through the air, darting through the empty streets. His right hand clutched onto the messenger bag as he ran, trying to ignore the pounding of footsteps behind him.

When he darted into a narrow alleyway, he thought it would be easier to outrun them, that they would have to run in a smaller group so he wouldn’t be surrounded so easily. He felt comfortable running anywhere, he knew these streets like he knew the back of his hand.

But the crowd still tried to catch him. In the shadow behind him, he saw dolls climbing on top of each other, pushing and shoving as they tried to reach him. They acted like animals, fighting for the last piece in meat in the bowl.

When he turned around, it upset him when he looked back on everyone, the kind faces that he once knew. Those kind faces were long gone now, replaced with one of dullness that only wanted to complete their duty. And currently, their duty was to get Martin.

Right, right, right left, the small boy continued to run, bounding through the air, hearing his inner gearing work at a pace that they were not used to. But he had to keep running, he had to buy more time.

Even if his legs got tired, or if his feet started to hurt from how many times he jammed his toes into the front of his boots in a violent way, he wouldn’t stop. Even if he felt like his gears would jam together, he had to keep running.

Not just for his own sake, but for everyone. There was more in danger than just his own life.

So he continued running, no matter how hard it was on his small body. He had endurance but running from this crowd of angry dolls was not something he had planned on doing. At the pace he was going, he would burn out in no time.

However, slowing down at this point would just be foolish, he would be caught the moment his feet stopped pounding against the cobblestones floors. He continued to push on, throwing his bag behind him to lose the extra weight and hopefully knock a doll over to slow them down.

But as he ran, he knew it was over when he saw a particular house, one that sat at an intersection. And right at the intersection came another mob of dolls, one that was similar to the wave that had formed behind him. He ran a few more steps, knowing that this was close to his end, that he wouldn’t make it any further.

Or, that’s what he thought before his legs made him take a hard right, and his arm pushed open the door to a house and slammed it behind him. Breaking an entrance at its finest. 

Martin ran through the living room, hearing the door break behind him. But he couldn’t stop, not when he still had a chance at outrunning them. So he continued to run, up the stairs and into the first bedroom he saw. It was facing away from the road that he had come from, surely it would be good enough.

He didn’t have much time to think as he stared at the window that faced the outside, but had the roof to another house just a few meters away. He could make that jump. With the sound of footsteps echoing behind him, he took multiple steps back before running at the window with all of his energy, screaming as he did so.

He covered his face with his arms as he broke through the window, pushing off the ground with his feet. The sound of the glass shattering around him was loud and hurt his ears, but he didn't have time to care. He had to nail his landing.

He moved his arms out of his face and shifted his body so his feet would land first. With a bit of a laugh, his feet collided with the rooftop. He pushed his weight forward and rolled, stopping him from completely destroying the rest of his body. The small messenger boy got up and looked behind him to see that there were dolls trying to follow what he had done, but not jumping very far as they were being pushed out the window. 

He sighed and looked around, trying to find a place to keep running. He just had to get to the tower, he would be safe there. But as he looked around, he realized that there were no rooftops for him to run to. He had fallen onto the shortest roof and his best bet was to get back on the on the streets. 

The messenger boy moved to peer over the edge of the building and felt his heart sink.

The robot dolls that had fallen out of the window were now climbing over each other, trying to reach the top of the building. His eyes scanned around for any way for him to get out of this situation he had found himself in.

As he scanned the area, he hear a door open to his left. With wide eyes, Martin whipped his head around and watched as someone he had never seen before stepped up from a trapdoor in the floor.

“Little boy, you cannot run from me. It is the end for your kind. You are tools for me to command.” The man said, a terrifying aura surrounding him. “I’m glad that those four woke me up. You will all become my war machines once more.”  
  
He had no idea what this man was talking about. War machines? Hadn’t they always been free? He didn’t understand one bit. But he wouldn’t be getting answers from just standing around. The small delivery boy stared up at the taller man, who looked down on him as four others he didn’t know emerged from the door.

“You won’t win. I won’t let you take any more of us… I don’t know what you want to do with us… but robot dolls are not your toys.” The boy stated dully, watching as some of the other men walked toward him, arms outstretched to grab him. Martin huffed and backed up slowly, trying to find a way to escape. But he was surrounded. There were humans in front of him and robot dolls climbing the side of the building behind him.

“Oh, but we will take you and find the rest. All I have to do is destroy the tower, and this world will keep existing. We can wake up the humans another way, I assure you. Now come with me, and don’t be afraid.”  
  
He had been watching the other man too closely. He only found this out when he felt a strong grip on his arms. He was lifted off the ground, despite his protests and struggling. The men walked him over to where the man stood, smiling at him while holding a small gear in his hand. Another had a screwdriver, and Martin shivered at the thought of them using that.

“You will be a wonderful tool to me. Goodnight.”

 

—

**Tunnel to the Tower**

—

 

Dissen walked in the back of the group, helping those who needed help walking along. After he had informed Sepeter of what had happened, the pair had sealed the entrance and changed the passcode so that Martin wouldn’t be able to get in. They had no idea what would happen to the boy, and they would rather be safe than sorry.

In the back of his mind, Dissen regretted leaving the other behind. He feared that Martin wouldn’t come back to them as the Martin that he knew. He remembered what the child had told him. How their mother was acting funny.

“Fabra. What do you know that we don’t?” The doll mumbled as he continued to walk with the others, the sound of footsteps echoing through the walls. Not many spoke, there was no laughter in the air. No one really understood what happened but they all knew that it was an emergency. That they had to escape from whatever had come into their beautiful home.

Dissen could see a dim light ahead, a lantern behind held by Septer, who was in the middle, making sure that people were getting along fine. The tunnel was long and confusing, with multiple paths leading around the place incase someone invaded. Though they all knew the way to the bunker, the walk ahead of them was long. 

Dissen never understood Septer, the doll who had been created by the hands of Novem and Octo and then geared by Fabra himself. And yet after a few months of being out and about, Novem brought him home and asked if the doll could stay in the basement. Dissen never learned why the doll had to sit in the basement after all these years. He didn’t really know why he woke him up either, but it was an instinct that he had.

He didn’t realize he had been lost in thought until Septer’s hand rested on his shoulder. Icy blue eyes settled on his body and stared him down.

“You have to go to the North, correct? This is where we part ways.” The other doll stated, motioning towards the part that would take him to the North district much quicker. Slowly, Dissen nodded and took a step towards the path that lead to the north.

  
“I will send more your way. When you are done with this group, come meet me at the North entrance. I will need your help, Septer.” He heard the other doll grunt in response, a small way of saying, “I know.”   
  
With that, Dissen took off, walking towards the north district. He could only hope that Martin would be fine and that he would be able to warn the others before everything else went to hell.

It was a small hope.

 

—

**???**

—

 

A foolish hope. This is one of the many reasons that the robot dolls deserved to be controlled. This is why humans are superior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I also hope that this is more interesting that the prologue was ^^' Also know that this story doesn't have an update schedule cause my life is too chaotic for that! Anyways Bye Bye I will see you next time whenever I have more time to write more for this story.
> 
> Bless my friend for Beta Reading... Again


	3. Race Against Another Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world had began to fall apart right before their eyes. Dissen knows he has to do something about it and gains help along the way. Meanwhile at the tower, another issue arises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late chapter aaaaa. I'm posting it right as I am done writing it so no Beta this time around!
> 
> Jane ― Izumi Iori || Fabra ― Nikaido Yamato || Martin ― Izumi Mitsuki || April ― Yotsuba Tamaki || Meir ― Osaka Sougo || Jeune ― Rokuya Nagi || Terra ― Nanase Riku || Cielo ― Kujou Tenn || Augus ― Yaotome Gaku || Septer - ??? || Octo ― Tsunashi Ryuunosuke || Novem ― Momo || Dissen ― Yuki

 

Fabra and Augus had been trying to push the debris off of Ceilo for the past fifteen minutes with no avail. Terra had tried to help but he was shaking so much that Jane had to sit him down and try to calm him down. Cielo hadn’t said anything in a long time, remaining silent on the floor as they tried to move the debris off of him. 

“It is no good. We need Octo and Novem, they should be strong enough to help us.” Augus stated, blinking a few times before stopping his efforts. They were strong but not strong enough to help Cielo out of this situation.  
  
“You make a good point. Jane, go find April and bring Novem and Octo here with April’s driving. Tell them it is urgent and their butterfly can wait.” Fabra stated, raising the hat off his head and wiping the sweat that had come about while he was working.

“Yes Fabra-san. Please watch Terra while I am gone.” The librarian said before rushing off towards the North district where all three of them would be. Fabra sighed and shook his head, mumbling something as he sat down next to Terra who was clearly worried about the other robot stuck under the debris.

Terra’s multi coloured eyes were downcast, tears swelling up. The doll that he had only recently woken up had seen a lot in his short time in their music box home. The happy boy seemed disheartened, as if he was blaming himself for the death of the other boy.

“Is it my fault that he ended up getting crushed, Fabra-san?” His voice was small and frail as if he was scared to speak.

“It isn’t your fault Terra.”

“I feel like it is…” The doll curled into a small ball on the steps, pressing his face into his knees and saying nothing.

“Hey, he will be fine.” The clockmaster said softly, putting a gentle hand on the others back who said nothing and continued to look at the ground. Fabra watched Augus look around the room before sitting beside him, giving him a look.

“We need to talk. It’s about the tower.” the other said seriously, looking him straight in the eyes. Fabra laughed nervously before nodding and putting on his serious face. “It did something weird today while I was eating. I think it is connected to Ceilo and Terra too.”

“Alright, Augus. What is it?”

“This morning when I was sitting up in the tow-”

Augus was cut off when a doll with blue hair came charging up the stairs, determination showing very clearly in his eyes. Fabra stood up, raising an eyebrow at the sight of that doll. He should be asleep.

“Septer.”  
  
“Fabra-san. The east was invaded.”

 

—

**North District**

—

 

Novem watched in wonder as the butterfly did it’s best to pick off the ground as delicate wings started to flap. Octo stood next to him, holding his breath. The two had done another project similar to this before but it had been a series of insects to help with Dissen’s plants. The butterfly would also help but it was more born from Octo’s love for them.

Novem had seen the other read about them the other day and started making plans to bring it to life, carefully crafting the pieces that they needed before approaching Octo with the idea. Octo was a mechanic but he had a large soft spot for small, delicate or soft things. 

They had been working on the butterfly for a few days and today they had to try it. Slowly the butterfly lifted itself off the ground and the animal researched sighed in relief, smiling as it fluttered around the room at a slow pace. He watched Octo’s eyes light up with happiness and excitement.

The small robotic butterfly didn’t look like a real butterfly by any means, only the dimensions were right. Very thin aluminum which made it light and able to fly if you did it right. However it was very easy to shatter but Novem didn’t mind. Because he knew that it would get it’s duty done. He just hoped that the delicate metal that made up the little robotic creature wouldn’t get destoryed

“It’s so beautiful…” Octo mumbled as his eyes followed the butterfly. Novem smiled and watched it flutter around the room, moving towards the door. And that’s when their hard work was crushed by the door.

They both watched as the delicate creature fell to the floor, the small pieces of flat metal falling to the floor like thin glass pieces. Novem let out a cry of horror, falling to his knees. All the hard work he had put into the butterfly had been crushed by the door and whoever was at it.

Standing at the door was a frantic April who had forgotten to knock Octo’s door and had slammed it open. Octo was also in shock, staring at the shattered butterfly that was only pieces of metal on the floor. The wires and inner workings were left a mess on the floor. They were both disheartened.

“Octo? Novem? What are you staring at?” The boy asked, looking behind the door to see the shattered pieces of what had once been a butterfly. The boy blinked and looked a little confused until someone started honking from outside. 

“April-san! Hurry up!” Someone called out, seeming to be in quite the rush. April blinked twice before nodding and motioning towards the two of them. “I’m sorry about the butterfly but we need your help!” 

Novem couldn’t physically form words to even ask a question. His creation, one that had taken him many days to develop and build was now in pieces on the floor in front him because of what he had just witnessed. He felt the need to cry out for his little butterfly.

Octo on the other hand got his composure and looked at April dead in the eyes.

“April-san what seems to be the problem?”

 

—

**Tunnel to the tower**

—

 

Dissen stumbled in the darkness, tripping over some of the rocks that had been left scattered in the tunnel. The researcher held his plants close to his body as he continued to walk through the darkness, regretting not bringing a lamp.

His footsteps echoed through the tunnel towards the North district where he hopped April would be with his car so they could round up the people. He could only hope.  
  
Maybe he was asking of too much today.

But the researcher didn’t have time to care for those things, and he continued to walk towards the North district. If he was right, the army that he had seen would come North first, because it was closer to the West. If they timed this correctly, they would beat the army to the west and evacuate everyone in the south before the army took anyone else.

With this thought in mind, the researcher moved at a faster pace, continuing to stumble through the darkness. He had never moved like this before, his body did not agree to this. He was meant to take care of things with precision and care, not run around trying to save everyone. 

As he moved he remembered Martin’s clam on being faster and lasting longer. Dissen could only hope that his longer would get him out of that situation. He hopped to see the messenger boy again, a small charming young man. Novem talked about him highly, saying he admired the other boy. 

But the last he saw of the boy, he had been standing alone facing a crowd that was out to kill him. The boy stood tall, as if he knew he could make it out. But did he really have any chance against those angry humans?

He didn’t. Both of them knew that. Martin used himself as a distraction so that the others could get away and Dissen had time to get to the other districts. Martin was most likely…

Dissen shook his head as he approached the door to the North district, holding his plant close to his body in one hand while the other entered the code into the small dial to his left. He shouldn’t think of the other like that, he had hope. There was a slim chance that the boy got away but it was a chance nonetheless. If he was as fast as he claimed and had enough stamina, there was hope for the small doll.

“Even if not…” The researcher mumbled as he entered in the pin, trying to pull the numbers from the back of his mind. “He should be fine… there have yet to be…” his thoughts were interrupted by the high pitched screaming of Novem from the other side of the door.

The researcher's eyes widened and quickly he tried to open the door, fearing that he had been too slow. That the army had already arrived and taken anyone that had tried to come.

 

—

**South District**

—

 

When the earth started to tremble, Meir looked up from his latest homemade creation. He heard screaming of some of the people outside and he was sure that Jeune was not in the area today. Slowly he set the pot down and turned the fire off before walking towards the front of the restaurant to see what the commotion was.

The white haired male stepped outside the store, peeking his head around only to push himself back when he saw dolls running at him. They were all moving rapidly, everyone screaming and causing an uproar. Screaming that “they are coming.” or something along the lines of, “they took my friend. 

The crowd didn’t stop running but someone did join him in the entrance to his restaurant, clearly on the verge of overheating. The tried to give the other space, not saying a word as he watched everyone else rush by him. Suddenly there was a hand on him and his head turned towards the hand at a rapid pace, free hand reaching out for the knife on is belt. 

Turns out it was the doll that had now cooled down, eyes wide with fear as he stared at Meir. The man took Meir’s shoulders into his hands and shook him a little bit, causing Meir to stumble a little where he was standing.

“Run. You have to run.”  
  
“Run from what exactly?” Meir didn’t have any intentions of running from whatever was after everyone if he could help it. He still had sauce to cook afterall. If it was just Jeune playing music in another part of the south district, then it was fine. 

But this man man looked at him with fear dancing in his eyes, his grip on Meir tightening. Meir doubted that Jeune got that bad at playing his instrument overnight, that it would drive such a large group of people to this point of insanity. Meir knew the other well enough to know he was not that bad at playing the violin, despite it always sounding like the other was killing a chicken.

“Humans. The humans are coming. They took my family… please sir you have to run. Run with us to the tower. Or they will take you.” And before Meir could say another word the other doll took off, running with the crowd once more.

The white haired doll put a hand against his chin and thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. This was quite the predicament that he had found himself in.

He didn’t understand this situation at all and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. Slowly he moved his arm back to his side before stepping out and walking straight through the crowd to the center of the street before looking off into the distance, watching as people continued to come towards him.

Then he moved against the current, moving towards what he assumed was what he should be running away from. People bumped his shoulder, giving him strange looks as he continued to walk towards whatever they were running from as if he were in a trance.

Finally he stopped as the people continued to rush past him, all in a frenzy to get out of there. Under any normal circumstance he would have went to get Jane so that they could divide and conquer the work but from what he remembered, he saw that doll leave this morning with Terra to the tower.

He doubted that Jane would be able to help him if he was still at the tower. Meir waited for whatever was coming to approach sooner so he could see the situation at its fullest.

“Someone help please! I can’t find them!” A female doll called from his left, causing Meir to turn and face her. He walked over quickly, bending down to the female doll who was weeping and holding children in her arms who were all crying. The doll with purple eyes looked at the woman seriously who was trying to hush the children in her arms.  
  
“I’m sorry if I’m intruding but, who can’t you find?" 

“My children! I’m missing fifteen of my children!”

 

—

**North District**

—

 

Novem was screaming at the top of his lungs while April drove them though the North District. This is not how he had planned to spend his day. The original goal was to just get the butterfly working and go home to play with his cats.  
  
But here he was now, screaming at the top of his lungs while April drive them straight at the escape tunnel. Octo looked quite sick himself, one hand over his mouth as he held on for dear life to the side of the car. Jane had also completely lost his composure, yelling at April to be more careful. Only the driver was having a good time, ignoring everyone’s fear and anxiety as he drove them straight at the door.

“April-San! The door isn’t open!” Ocot cried out in distress from beside him, taking a tighter grip onto the car. Novem also took a tighter grip onto the bar above him, continuing to scream as April seemed to pick up the pace.

“Don’t worry! If I drive fast enough nothing bad should happen to us!” April boasted, continuing to step on the gas pedal. Jane also started to scream, trying to push himself into his seat. It was a miracle when Dissen opened the door just as April was about to collide with it.

“Thanks Dissen!” April called out as they continued to drive. Everyone else was still holding onto the car for dear life and gasping for breath as they continued to go down the dark and unstable tunnel system that was most definitely not made for a car.

“Bad idea! Bad idea! Bad idea!” Novem chanted as they took sharp turns, feeling the weight of the car shift under him as they continued to ride through the dark tunnel with nothing but April’s mental map as their brain.

He had a terrible feeling about this trip.

 

—

 

Dissen heard Novem’s screams get more distant and he blinked, still holding his plant close to his body. He had almost dropped her when he saw two of his friends fly by him in a car driving far too fast. 

The researched blinked a few times before sighing and walking out into the sun, blinded for a moment until he blinked and his eyes focused again. The north district looked to be in tact, the whole town running smoothly. 

He would hate to bring havoc to the area but it had to be done. From what he remembered of the town map, there were not too many people here in this district. Getting them all out shouldn’t be a problem. Until he remembered what kind of people lived in this district.

During the first year of Septer living with the pair in the Botanic garden, the researcher found himself talking to Septer quite a lot. He was drawn to the other male and spent a lot of time with him in the one year Septer had before he shut down.

During Septer’s time on the surface, he learnt a lot about the other dolls. His role was to guide people. He was very good at it too. He knew everyone in town and exactly what they needed to do. So when he was locked away in the basement that Dissen and Novem kept, he would often tell Dissen about the people in each district.

In the west they had more places you would go on your day out. Not many people lived there aside from those who lived in their stores and the orphanage that was located there. Dissen knew that the orphanage would be the hardest to evacuate given all of the children that lived there with only two caretakers to look after them 

In the south, it was more of a leisurely place. It was a place for entertainers and dolls who wished to take a break would go there. It was where Dissen would typically go when he wanted to put his plants where others would see them. The south district he doubted would be too hard to evacuate, so long as he could scare them enough.

The east was a residential place for just about anyone. It had a school and was where the majority of the population lived. The botanic garden was strange for this reason. It was a building that should be located in the south but perhaps it was but in the east for other reasons. It wasn’t a question he could answer himself. It would join the small list of questions for Fabra that had built up in the back of his mind.

But in the north, they had a major problem. Every doll that lived in the north was usually here because they had something wrong with their gearing or they were old. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure why he came here. He doubted that this was a good idea. If they were all old or partly broken he doubted the man that had been leading the army would want any of these people.

And he hadn’t seen any casualties yet. But Dissen knew that he couldn’t leave anyone behind or else he would never hear the last of it from Octo and Novem. Octo cared a lot about the dolls in this area, doing his best to help them whenever he had the chance. He lived in this district for a reason.

Dissen sighed as he walked through the streets, pondering how he was going to get all of these people into the tunnel. This was going to be a long process. Even if people would listen to the researcher...

 

—

**Central Tower**

—

 

Novem and Octo both fell out of the car, gasping for air while Jane got out of the car after slapping April across the shoulder. Novem couldn’t move, exhausted from all of the screaming he had done. Octo was in a slightly better state, standing and holding onto the car while Novem tried to catch his breath against the floor.

They were parked right outside the entrance to the tower’s bunker and left to try to catch their breath as April knocked on the door, ignoring the sound of his friends trying to recover from the joyride he had give them.

“Hey open up! We are here to help Fabra-san!” The blue haired boy shouted. Novem groaned as he sat up, remembering what they were actually there for. He doubted he would be much help after the ride he had to suffer on.

Over him, Octo walked into his vision with a weary smile and a hand out. Novem took it gladly, letting his friend pull him up to his feet. Octo pat his back a little as the Jane walked over to April’s side while the door opened slowly. Out came Septer, which confused Novem.

“Septer?” He asked softly, making eye contact with the doll. The doll nodded towards him almost as if telling him to go inside. Novem just blinked in confusion.

“Novem, do you know this doll?”

“Fabra-san is waiting for you, Novem. He says he wants the doll Octo as well.. He has told April to take me to the north to assist in the evacuation that Dissen is currently leading and for Jane to go back to the south. He didn’t give me any explanations.”

Novem blinked at started at Septer before tilting his head in confusion. Evacuation? Who was there to evacuate and why? His question was answered when there was crying from small dolls inside the building, asking where their parents were. Did Dissen have to evacuate everyone in the east because one of his plants overgrown and was taking over?

“Novem, let’s go. We should go help Cielo.” Octo spoke as he pulled along the smaller doll who was still staring at Septer in confusion. Jane had started to walk off towards the west tunnel while April climbed back in his car, patting the spot in the passenger side excitedly. 

Everything felt so normal… Surly there was no need for an evacuation.

 

—

**North District**

—

 

Dissen was pretty close to just dropping and giving up in this district. Most people had believed him which was a relief but  getting them to the exit was a whole problem in itself. Most of these dolls couldn’t walk on their own or they were very slow. The researcher was not made to help with this kind of stuff.

He had carried about four people on his back already and was used as support for a lot of others who had trouble with balance. Some of the dolls had wheelchairs and other means of support which made his job slightly easier, but there were too many. There was no way he would get everyone out of here before someone came and took out at least half of these dolls.

He sighed while he lead another small group with him to the exist, thinking it might be best to run off and save everyone else in the other districts first. The researcher was sure that they didn’t have time to deal with this right now.

That was, until he heard screams from the tunnel. His eyes lit up as he listened to curses and apologies being screamed through the air. Moment later, April’s car came flying out of the tunnel, Septer’s screams ringing out through the air while April laughed. 

The researcher sighed in relief as he continued to lead his small group with him to the tunnel entrance to check up on everyone April most likely almost ran over. For once, Dissen was glad to hear the distraught cries of people in April’s car. Because he knew it would get the job done even if people were screaming at the top of their lungs the whole time.

Once Dissen had led everyone to the tunnel, April had turned around was was at his side in moments. Dissen waved while Septer fell out of the car, trying to calm down. Dissen walked over and gently pat the other’s back before turning to April.

“You… are never driving me… around… again!” Speter wheezed from the ground, pounding on his chest to try to reset his systems. This caused dissen to chuckle and for April to let out nervous laughter.

“Sorry Septer.” The blue haired doll said nervously before turning to face Dissen. “So, want me to take it from here? It will be faster if I do it and I can meet you when I’m done or somethin…” The doll said, looking at the slow approaching crowd coming from the streets.

“It would be appreciated. I’ll leave Septer to help you here. Please meet me in the west district when you are done here.” The researched said, earning an exhausted reply from Septer who was moving onto his feet and an excited response from April.  
  
“Leave it to us!”

The gardener nodded before turning towards the tunnel walking ahead of those who he had sent down this path earlier. If all went according to plan, April would clear out the last group of people before the army arrived and Dissen would have gotten most of the people in the south into the tunnels.

The researcher would not fail. He had more to care for than just his plants now. Because if the humans took away all the dolls, who would admire the plants he raised so carefully?

 

—

**Doctor’s Notes**

—

 

“In the early stages of this experiment, my co-workers and I had made four prototype dolls, that would serve as a guide for the others.They were almost the perfect test subjects, everything was going well in the early stages. These were the first humans that we used to turn into dolls. It was a long process... but we did it.”

 

**—**

**North District**

**—**

 

April grit his teeth as he drove through the district at a slower pace than he would have liked because of the older dolls in his car. Septer was not with him, resorting to carrying multiple people on his body. April thought that would be too slow. There were a lot of people here.

He didn’t actually know why they were evacuating everyone, it seemed like a hassle to him. No one told him why they were doing this but all he knew was that it was important. April sighed as he continued to drive at a slower pace with the multiple dolls in the back of his car. It was boring.

Once he finished dropping off his load of robots at the entrance, April heard stomping in the distance. A marching band? A group of children doing dangerous things on the street again? Is that why they were moving everyone out? April wasn’t sure.

His questions were answered when he drove back out and helped a younger group into his car. It looked like the last group that he would have to drive to the tunnel before he would drive back to the tower and demand to know why he didn’t know of the marching band that was going through town.

He was quick to realize that it was not a marching band when he saw Martin in the distance, running straight at him. April blinked in confusion before smiling and waving.

“Martin! What’s happening!” He shouted, calling out for the man who was still running straight at him. But as he got closer, April squinted to get a good look at his face before panic overwhelmed him. “S-Sorry guys! We are going to have to uhhh… speed though town!”  
  
There was a confused uprise in the vehicle as he laughed nervously as he started up the engine while watching Martin through the rearview mirror. There was something wrong with the messenger. April had seen Martin run before, but never had he seen Martin run like that.

Usually his body was positioned forward but only slightly. He would also clutch his bag while he ran and never went anywhere without it. But the most important thing, was that Martin jumped while he ran. He never ran like anyone else, acting more like a rabbit. But today he wasn’t leaping through the air like a rabbit but he looked more like a doll running. 

As if something had changed the way that Martin thought.

And then he stepped on the gas pedal violently, sending the whole care forward at a speed too fast for a vehicle that had been given such a short time to warm up. Not that he had time to care, he had a feeling Martin wanted something from them if he was running at them that fast.

Everyone else in the car started screaming while April leaned forward, holding the wheel tightly in his hands we he started to drift through the streets of the north district as Martin continued to run after him. Right now he didn’t have time to enjoy the thrill of the ride, this was bad. Very bad.

As he drove, he watched Martin though the window, noticing that he saw still running in a weird way. He was a lot faster than a normal doll but slower than he usually was because he was only running. Though April still didn’t want Martin to catch up. Maybe this was just some weird race he didn’t hear about.  
  
“I won’t let you win Martin…” April mumbled as he continued to add pressure to the gas pedal, propelling the group forward towards the tunnel entrance. They drifted through the streets at speeds that should have tipped the car over, and yet it didn’t. Because April knew what he was doing. Good think too, they might have all crashed if it was Meir driving. 

Only when it was in sight did he start to slow down only a little so he wouldn’t destroy anyone is he ran into them. The group in the back were completely done with him, screaming at the top of their lungs and grabbing onto just about anything they could. One guy ripped a part of the seat in the back. 

“Hey be careful! She’s delicate!” He snapped as he drove, bringing the car to a screeching halt right at the entrance, sending most of the dolls flying out of the seats and straight into the front ones. There was cursing and crying and all April could do was make a guilty face. “Sorry.”  
  
Septer came over to him and blinked when he looked inside the vehicle glaring at April before sighing and opening the door to help some of the other dolls out. April also got out of his vehicle to help some of the dolls out, apologizing to each of them as they stormed off into the tunnel.

“To think that you went faster with them than you did with me.” Septer mused, walking towards the entrance while April groaned. The blue haired doll got back into his car and moved it into the tunnel before getting out to help Septer close the doors.

“It’s not my fault Martin was acting funny!” April protested as he locked the doors in place while Septer changed the code to the door. “Why are you changing the code to the door? Doesn’t Martin need to get in?” The doll tilted his head to the side with confusion while Septer sighed. 

“I’ll tell you on the way. For now drive us slowly towards the south. Dissen will probably need our help again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I am glad to see that people are actually interested in this. comment your thoughts and things down below and I will do my best to keep uploading. I am getting a little busy with some finals and midterms at the moment but I will keep doing my best to write.
> 
> Until next time my friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps that didn't follow the tags. Well that's how this prologue will work I suppose. A few small notes! 
> 
> This story will most likely update once or twice a week! I am busy but I do want to try to keep this uploading constantly. So I will do my best but no promises. 
> 
> As you can already tell this story will diverge from the original plot of Mechanical Lullaby. There will be a lot of plot changes and everything will take of starting chapter one! 
> 
> That is all for now. I do hope that you don't mind a few of the character that will make a few appearances. I also hope you solve mysteries before I reveal the answers to them. That is all for now. Until next time. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also bless my friend for Beta reading this.


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